climate change

noun

: significant and long-lasting change in the Earth's climate and weather patterns
The half-tonne … turtles were thought to have died out 30,000 to 40,000 years ago because of climate change.New Scientist
especially, in current use : such change associated with global warming
Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change are renewed among scientists and the public with every new report about the possibility of melting icecaps and rising temperatures. Randy Showstack
Drought is a paleontological fact in the American West, but the latest desiccations have a new signature, and my region's climatologists, hydrologists, foresters, and water managers are nearly unanimous in their conviction that what we are seeing now is climate change, the anthropogenic kind, a consequence of too much CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Kenneth Brower

Examples of climate change in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
He is known around Sacramento for championing LGBT rights, combating climate change, and pushing for fair housing. Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 18 Oct. 2025 But agriculture, logging, invasive species, hunting and trapping, and climate change pose significant threats to birds worldwide. Doyle Rice, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025 This region is also on the forefront of climate change. NPR, 17 Oct. 2025 In 2015, then-Senator Jim Inhofe famously brought a snowball onto the floor of Congress to argue against the existence of climate change. Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for climate change

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of climate change was in 1854

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Climate change.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/climate%20change. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

climate change

noun
: significant and long-lasting change in the earth's climate and weather patterns
especially : such change associated with global warming
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!